Athens Epidaurus Festival Unveils 93 Spectacular Summer Events

Photo source: Athens Epidaurus Festival

The Athens Epidaurus Festival returns this year with 93 productions over 85 days, featuring approximately 2,500 performers and creators from around the world.

Since its inception in 1955, the festival has been a cornerstone of the Greek cultural scene, showcasing some of the world’s most renowned music, dance, and theater artists.

Collaborating with esteemed Greek and international organizations, the festival attracts audiences from across the globe to Athens and Epidaurus.

Artistic director Katerina Evangelatos described this year’s program as having a political focus, addressing contemporary societal challenges such as democracy, justice, and inclusion.

“The performances will explore the pressing issues of coexistence in modern societies and the imperative to actively participate in public life,” she said.

The Athens Epidaurus Festival will kick off in June.

Athens Epidaurus Festival summer 2024 program

À la carte dance performance with Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company and choreographer Ioannis Mandafounis. Photo source: Athens Epidaurus Festival

The festival organizers have announced that artistic events will now also take place during the winter, expanding the program beyond the summer months. While some events are free of charge, others require ticket reservations.

Throughout June to August, the festival’s main venues—Peiraios 260, the Odeon of Herod Atticus, and the ancient theaters of Epidaurus (Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and Little Theatre of Epidaurus) —will be highlighted. These venues will be presented in unconventional and alternative ways, reflecting the festival’s new philosophy.

Venues

Peiraios 260: Highlights

Elizabeth Costello / J. M. Coetzee: Seven lectures and five moral tales. Photo source: Athens Epidaurus Festival

– Elizabeth Costello/J. M. Coetzee: Seven lectures and five moral tales, June 5 to 7, 7 pm.: A theatrical performance based on J. M. Coetzee’s works Elizabeth Costello, A Slow Man, and Moral Tales, directed by Polish director Krzysztof Warlikowski. The main story of the play focuses on the meaning of art in today’s world.

– À la carte, June 5 to 6, 9 p.m.: The internationally renowned Greek choreographer Ioannis Mandafounis introduces himself as the new artistic director of the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company with À la carte, a large-scale work that has received enthusiastic reviews.

– Hip hop battle and all-styles battle, June 15 to 16, 10 p.m: The AEF Urban Dance Contest, which introduced the Peiraios 260 audience to the hip hop and street dance universe, returns for a fourth time, staging new explosive dance encounters in two consecutive nights, curated by the dancer and choreographer Elias Hadjigeorgiou and his dance companion Periklis Petrakis.

– Monsieur Linh and His Child, June 21 to 25, 9 p.m.: One of the world’s most significant contemporary theatermakers, Guy Cassiers, comes to Greece to direct Constantine Markoulakis in Philippe Claudel’s novella Monsieur Linh and His Child (2005). It should be noted that the play on June 22 will start at 8 p.m.

– Strong Born, July 13 to 14, 9 p.m.: Kat Válastur’s Strong Born comes as a continuation of her previous work with a dance performance inspired by the myth of Iphigenia in Aulis, approached from a feminist perspective.

– Etymologies, July 18–22, various times throughout the days: In a landmark building for Greek history, a lecture will take place where the invented etymologies of various Greek words are listed by lecturers Efthimis Filippou and Angeliki Papoulia.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus: Highlights

La Traviata. Photo source: Athens Epidaurus Festival

– Tosca, June 1, 2, 6, 11, 9 p.m.: The Greek National Opera inaugurates the Odeon of Herodes Atticus program, presenting one of the most beloved operas, Puccini’s Tosca, alongside internationally renowned stars.

– Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma, June 15, 9 p.m.: The musical dream team of pianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Leonidas Kavakos, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma will entertain the audience with works by Beethoven.

– Loreena McKennitt, June 26, 9 p.m.: Athens is the starting point of McKennitt’s European tour, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of her landmark album The Mask and Mirror, in which she masterfully mingles Celtic, Spanish, and Moroccan influences.

– Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Simon Rattle, Magdalena Kožená, June 30, 9 p.m.:  This summer, the Orchestra tours to Europe’s greatest stages under the baton of podium superstar Sir Simon Rattle, playing classic masterpieces from Dvořák, Mahler, Bartók, and Schubert.

– Sting, July 5 and 6, 9 p.m. and 12 a.m., respectively: At the Odeon of Herodes Atticus concert, Sting will sing some of his greatest hits together with his special guest, Giordana Angi, a songwriter and performer.

– Jakub Józef Orliński, Il Pomo d’Oro, July 16, 9 p.m.: The Polish award-winning counter tenor Jakub Józef Orliński comes to the Odeon of Herodes Atticus to captivate the Greek audience not only with his voice, but also with his charismatic presence as a breakdancer.

– La Traviata, July 27 to 28 and 30 to 31, 9 p.m.: The Odeon of Herodes Atticus program closes with Verdi’s La Traviata, directed by Konstantinos Rigos, which was first performed by the GNO at the Roman Odeon in the summer of 2019 with great success.

Epidaurus Ancient Theaters: Highlights

Loreena McKennitt, 30th Anniversary Tour. Photo source: Athens Epidaurus Festival

– Iphigenia in Aulis, Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, July 5 to 6, 9 p.m.: The internationally acclaimed director Timofey Kulyabin returns to the Athens Epidaurus Festival with the tragic play of Euripides with a cast of prominent Greek actors.

– Oresteia, Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, July 12 to 13, 9 p.m.: For the first time, the National Theater of Greece collaborates with the internationally acclaimed Greek director and teacher Theodoros Terzopoulos, who will be directing Aeschylus’ Oresteia, the only surviving trilogy of ancient drama and the last surviving work of the author, in a single performance.

– Little Trackers, Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, July 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27 and August 2, 3, 9, 10, 23, 24, 8.30 p.m.: Theatre education program for kids 5–10 years old, aiming to familiarize them with the wonderful and mysterious world of ancient myths.

– Hippolytus – Phaedra, Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, July 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27 and August 2, 3, 9, 10, 23, 24, 6 p.m.: On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the informal opening of the Epidaurus performances in 1954 with Euripides’ Hippolytus, the Epidaurus exhibition hall comes to life again this year with a temporary exhibition dedicated to the figures of Hippolytus and Phaedra.

In anticipation of the festival’s 70th anniversary in 2025, organizers are expanding their collaborations with historical institutions and various venues across the city.

Katerina Evangelatos announced that among the venues are the Sea Food Market at Keratsini, Pallas Theater, the Hellenic World Foundation, the National Museum of Contemporary Art (EMST), the National Library of Greece, Sotiria Hospital, the Contemporary Theater stage, and the Athens Conservatoire.